Banishment
by IsleofSolitude
Summary: When Rei is banished, what will change for her? And how will she cope? However, it won't be long until the truth takes her and her new friends on a journey. Ch. Two revised 71105
1. Punished Revised 5705

Wow…this was first written on a whim 3 years ago…I can't believe it. Just looking through, and realizing how much my writing has changed over time, I realized that this story, as with all my other stories, needed to be revised, badly. Therefore, until I go back and revise all the chapters, I will not add anymore to the story.

Disclaimer I don't own SM or GW.

_(revised May 7, 2005)_

**Banishment**

_Chapter One: Punished_

Outside, it was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining brightly on Neo Tokyo, and the cool breeze that raced with the children insured that it did not get too hot. The aforementioned children were laughing and having the time of their young lives, mimicking the birds up in the green trees.

It was slightly ironic that on such a beautiful day a young woman was to be banished.

Inside the palace of Queen Serenity and her husband Endymion, the windows were drawn, letting no sun shine through. The room was meant to look as menacing as the look on three grimy men's faces. The three men were sitting behind a polished oak desk, papers piled neatly in front of them. Facing them, a medley of people sat.

Queen Serenity sat on the edge of her seat, anxiously twisting her slender fingers into her white, silk dress. On her head, her tiara of crystals twinkled like the tears that were forming in her eyes. She frowned and chewed on her lower lip as the judges conferred in front of them. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the man seated next to her.

King Endymion glanced back at her impassively. His fine features were marred only by the large gash that ran across his cheek and the white bandage that was wrapped around his head, barely covered by his jet black hair. At the questioning look in his wife's eyes, he shook his head slightly. She turned away.

Behind their lord and lady, a few more women sat. Minako fidgeted in her seat, playing with her blonde hair. Her light blue eyes were dimmed with worry as she regarded the judges. Ami, sitting next to her, had her eyes trained on her clasped hands, knowing that if she looked up, she would cry. Makoto, her brown hair lying loose, rather than the usual ponytail it was in, had one hand wrapped around Ami's shoulder and the other clutching the hand of a pink-haired girl beside her. Rini clutched at Makoto's hand tightly, afraid that if she let go, her world would fall apart even more than it was now. She leaned heavily onto her best friend, Hotaru. At the moment, Hotaru seemed to be in just as bad a shape as Rini, but valiantly composed herself. She spared a glance to the last two people in the row, Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa. Michiru was focusing all her efforts on keeping Haruka from doing anything rash, such as questioning—or hitting—the judges.

In between the judges and the Royal Court stood a black-haired woman. Of the entire room, she was the only one who had no look at all in her black eyes. She was wearing simple priestess garb, and her hair was tied in a loose ponytail. As the judges stirred and turned towards the people, she stood up even straighter and watched them.

The judge in the middle was fighting hard to maintain a frown, though his eyes glittered like a rat. _A plump, evil, rat with rabies,_ Rei decided, _and he probably smells like one too_.

"We, the Royal Judges of Neo Tokyo, do hereby sentence Hino Rei to be banished from this world with charges of insubordination to her honorable King and treason for striking the King. She must be deployed to either the future, past, or an alternate world. The Queen will issue the deportation way."

Rei stood impassive throughout the judge's ruling, trembling when they brought up her striking Endymion. She clenched her jaw as the one in the middle fell silent and the one to his left continued for him.

"She will be banished without the ability to transform. For as long as she lives, she must never come back to this place." The judge speaking looked past Rei and to the Queen. "Queen Serenity, please make your ruling."

Serenity looked at Endymion, her tears starting to fall. "Please drop the charges, Endymion. Don't make me do it." She whispered. He shook his head, not once looking at her. She touched his hand. "Please, please…"

Her husband pulled his hand away. "Serenity, you must do this. You took an oath to maintain justice. This is just. You must decide her fate."

Serenity looked at Rei, who was looking down once more. Then she looked at the other Scouts: Makoto, Ami, Minako, Michiru, Haruka, Hotaru, and Setsuna. They stared back sadly, no answers on their faces. Rini had buried her face into Hotaru. Serenity nodded and made her choice.

"No! I won't!" She stood up, turning once more to plead with her husband. "Endymion, you must stop this! I won't go make a horrible decision! Don't make me choose! Please drop the char-"

"Serenity." The one word was said quietly, yet stopped the desperate pleas. Serenity looked at her best friend. Rei mustered up a small smile. "Serenity, I broke the rules. Let me go honorably. Don't embarrass me or you or your family. Don't go against your own laws. Now choose where I'll be banished. _Please_."

Serenity looked at Rei, then at the floor. Sitting down, she closed her eyes. A moment later, she looked Rei right in the eyes and said, "Another world." The court sighed, relieved she wasn't going to refuse.

"Hino-san's punishment will commence immediately." The judge on the right said. He motioned to Setsuna, the only scout in her uniform. Setsuna stood up, grabbed her staff, and walked to where Rei stood. Saying a few incoherent words, she pointed at a blank wall. The wall shifted and revealed a portal. Setsuna took the bindings off of Rei. Rei rubbed her wrists. As Rei began to shuffle towards the portal, Setsuna stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. The two scouts stood solemnly for a moment, before Setsuna released her. Rei closed her eyes and marched into her fate. She stopped one last time and looked over her shoulder. She took one last look at Neo Tokyo, one last look at her friends and home. She was gone.

Setsuna closed the portal. _Goodbye, my friend._ She stared at the place the portal had been, then walked out of the courtroom without a second glance. Serenity stood up and made her way out full of grace, although her nose was runny from her crying. The rest of the scouts silently followed, each wishing their banished friend was with them instead of the tears they had.

Well, there's chapter one revised. I hope you like it just as much as the first draft, or maybe better? Hehe, I love all my readers and I am so glad that you are sticking by me through it all.


	2. Awakened Revised 71105

Disclaimer I don't own GW or SM, or any references in this chapter.

Alright, going to clean this chapter up a lot. It still might not be long, but at least I'll take care of the problems.

Revised: 7/11/2005

* * *

_You know you've been knocked out when the first thing you hear is_ "Is she waking up?", Rei mused as she drifted out of her unconscious state. Feeling the presence of unfamiliar auras, she decided her best plan of action was to fake sleep while she took inventory of her surroundings and physical state.

She was laying in a soft bed, on top of the covers, apparently. There were three, no, four people in the room with her, all male.

"Nope, doesn't look like it yet." One of them said.

Rei heard the male voices but paid little attention to them as she moved on to assessing the damage to her body. _Damn Setsuna. She should've made both sides of the portal on ground level. But noo. She goes and makes me fall down a story or two. _As she tried out one of her legs, she felt it spasm painfully. Unable to suppress her groan, she squeezed her eyes shut in pain.

"Hey, I think she's waking up." The same one who had spoken earlier commented once more.

"It's about time. Now we can get rid of the onna."

At that comment Rei's eyes shot open. She lifted her head quickly and moaned as she realized that that was a bad idea. She laid back down and counted to five. Then she did it again, slower this time. She looked at the three boys around her bed. Instantly she narrowed her eyes and wished she had something to defend herself with.

The one in the center had chocolate-brown hair in a long braid. The only way she could tell was because he had it over his shoulder and was fiddling with it. He gave her a casual two finger wave and a smile. The one to his right had shiny black hair in a shorter ponytail and was currently shooting her a scowl while his arms were folded. The one on Braided-Boy's left had white-blond hair, looking at her with concern evident in his baby-blue eyes. _That accounts for three of them…where's the fourth?_

Braided-Boy grinned. "No need to get alarmed. We come in peace." Rei raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. "Thought you might feel more comfortable with a corny but familiar reference. Was I wrong?"

Rei looked at him impassively.

"Okay, geez. Let's begin with introductions, then. My name is Duo Maxwell, the handsomest man here. This"-pointing to Ponytail-"is Wufei Chang, the man with constant constipation." Ignoring both his companions' chokes, he continued and gestured to Blondy. "This is Quatre Winner, the sweetest guy you'll ever meet. And what is your name, pretty lady?"

"Shut up and tell me where I am, and how I got here." Rei wasn't fooled by his smiling exterior.

Duo wasn't phased a bit. "Ok Shut up, nice name by the way, you are in our house. As for how you got here, that hermit over there found you unconscious and brought you here. Lucky dog."

Rei looked around, still ignoring his antics. "What 'hermit'?" Duo moved aside, revealing another occupant of the room. The 'hermit' was sitting on the black, leather couch with a laptop on his legs, staying out of the conversation. He had moss-green hair. When he looked over, Rei saw that he had Prussian blue eyes.

Rei slid off the bed on unsteady legs. The guys stood where they were, except for Quatre. He rushed to help her. She shooed him off, but he hovered close in case she fell. Making her way out of the bedroom to the living room where the guy sat, she stood beside him. "Thank you. I hear it's pretty cold out." He said nothing, just typed away on his laptop. "What's your name?" No answer. She growled, clenching her fists. "I'm trying to thank you here and you won't even acknowledge me? I'm talking to you." The other boys began to fidget and looked at each other in worry. "Hey!" She grabbed his laptop. Duo, Quatre, and Wufei hissed in fear. The silent one stood up and pulled out a gun, training it on her head.

"Give it back." His voice was low and rough, smooth in its own quality, but also a monotone.

Rei glared at him "No one ever teach you to share? I'll give it back once you tell me your name. So put your silly gun away."

Duo leaned to Quatre. "Wow, first person to ever touch his sacred laptop." He whispered. Quatre nodded, staring at the slim woman and the man.

Rei and the man with the gun stood, neither backing down. Finally, the gun was holstered. Rei smirked. "Now what was your name again…?"

The man glared, and if Rei was actually capable of feeling fear at the moment, she would have been afraid. Instead, she smiled cutely as he answered her. "Heero. Heero Yuy."

Duo, Quatre, and Wufei stared. Wufei was the first to speak. "Wow. She told him what to do. And…and…he _listened_."

"No kidding." Added Quatre.

Duo chuckled, finding the moment too funny. _Well, well, well…what have we got here?

* * *

_

Alright, there's the second chapter revised. I think the dialogue is much better, and everything flows more easily.


	3. Settled

I'm not dead and I'm not giving up on fanfiction! Hehe…Anyways, I fixed the formatting on this chapter, because all three times I uploaded it onto the paragraphs clumped together and it was hard to read. I've changed the ending of the chapter a bit to make it not so rushed, and added a little bit more details, specifically to Rei and Heero. It's still short, but…sweet.

Thoughts are in italics, except in the flashback. Those thoughts will be '' . flashback is in and italics.

**Banishment**

_Chapter Three: Settled_

Revised 8-10-06

Rei settled into the small household very quickly. The four boys had bought a house and paid for it on their own, even though Rei was shocked to find out that Quatre was heir to a billion dollar company. According to Duo, who had designated himself her personal guide: "We just want a normal life. With the exception of decorating and clothing and going out, we pay for it ourselves." They had bought a five-bedroom house, having originally planned for a fifth roommate. However, he had gone back to the circus when his friend became ill. Therefore Rei got the extra room. Even a week after it had happened, the memory of that conversation made her smile.

_Flashback_

"_Really, I'll be fine. I'll find a hotel or something. Maybe a homeless shelter until I get back on my feet." Rei persisted._

"_Absolutely not." Duo argued. "No friend of mine is gonna live in a homeless shelter when we have room."_

_At the same time, Quatre offered "Then at least let me give you some money."_

_Rei shook her head. "It wouldn't feel right for me to-" She stopped and stared at Duo. "Did…did you just call me your 'friend'?" Duo grinned._

"_Of course I did babe." _

'_They've only known me for a few days, but they trust me. And they think of me as their friend.' Rei grinned. "On one condition."_

"_Name it." Rei was beginning to think that Duo was the boys' spokesman. _

"_I'm going to get a job." Quatre started to protest, but Rei held up a hand. "I'm not a guest. I won't be a freeloader. I won't change this." Quatre nodded, although she knew it was just to placate her. As long as he agreed. After all, she would have plenty of time to figure out how to get him to accept the money. _

"_Yeah! Now we finally have a pretty girl with us!" Rei giggled. 'I feel sorry for him…having to live with a bunch of guys must be hard for someone as flirty as him.' Unbidden, the image of him flirting with Heero came to mind._

"_Welcome Ms. Hino." Quatre greeted. Rei had a feeling she'd be able to get him to call her by her first name when he accepted money from her…_

"_Oh great._ _A weak onna staying with us." Rei narrowed her eyes. 'Just 10 minutes alone with you, me with high heels…that's all I ask.'_

"_Hn." Was all that Heero said. She raised an eyebrow, thinking that was the most repeated word—well, sound—that he said to anyone, especially her._

_End Flashback_

The next morning Rei woke up early. Today was the day that she was going to redecorate her room. Right now it was a blah brownish-yellow and with boring everything. As she got up and put on her clean clothes-they were extras of the guys, because she had no others-she smelled bacon. Even though she didn't like bacon, it meant that Quatre was up. She knew that because if it was Duo, then she'd smell smoke and hear lots of shouting, and Wufei and Heero wouldn't cook. Rei gave her hair a quick brushing before bounding down into the kitchen. She paused in the doorway, staring at her new friends. _Kami, they remind me of the scouts. Duo is just like Mina-chan, bubbly and air headed, but underneath is very caring and both have good intentions. Quatre and Ami both are levelheaded and sweet. Both are also shy. Wufei reminds me of Makoto. He has Makoto's strong sense of righteousness and purpose._ Here she paused, a rueful grin tugging at her lips. _Although, I would hate for them to meet...that'd be an interesting fight, though. And Heero, kami, he doesn't remind me of anyone. He is not like anyone I've ever met. He's different. Kami, I've got to stop thinking of my friends._ She took the only open seat, between Wufei and Heero. "Hey guys." Quatre turned around. Rei took one look at his face and new something was wrong. "What's wrong Quatre-san?"

"Rei, I was going to take you to the city today, but my sister had a surgery and I have to go see her. It's a day-long trip there and back. I won't be able to take you into the city. I'm sorry. I really am." Rei's excitement dimmed. She sat down dully. Then she brightened. "Duo, could you take me?" He shook his head regrettably.

"Sorry babe. I have to work."

Rei nodded sadly. "I was so looking forward to it. It would have been so nice." _It would've taken my mind off my friends. Shimatta. _Unknowingly, her eyes had grown sad and withdrawn and she was absent-mindedly swishing her tea. Duo, Quatre, and even Wufei—although he might have been eyeing her toast—looked at her in concern.

"I'll take you." Everyone whipped their heads around and stared at the voice. Heero calmly met all their gazes, then nonchalantly ate his grits and sipped his water. In essence, he was the quintessential example of composure.

In the warped brain of Heero Yuy, he was as startled as the others. _Why did I do that? All I know is I must not let her be unhappy—wait, where the hell did that come from? I DON'T think things like that! Kuso. Can't back out now._

"Do…do you mean that Heero?" Rei's big violet eyes filled with hope. Heero made the mistake of looking at them.

"…Yes. I will take you into town."

Rei's eyes sparkled with happiness. "Thank you."

Duo discretely grinned behind his milk cup. Then, just as suddenly, he stopped. Flashes of Rei in a dress skirt, fighting with a fiery arrow, kissing Heero, popped into his mind. _What the…_ He narrowly caught the piece of sausage being thrown at his head before it hit him.

"Stop looking constipated and finish your food."

Duo smirked at the Chinese ex-pilot. "Aw, Wufei, I didn't think you noticed my bowel movements." As Wufei sputtered incoherent threats, Duo bit into the sausage and contemplated the fact that he, quite possibly, might be going insane.


	4. Shopping

Ages~ 

Rei and inners-24

Darien/Endymion-26

Heero, Duo, Wufei, Quatre-24

Trowa-25

Haruka and Michiru-26

Trista-immortal, though she looks 20ish

Rini-5

And for those who aren't reading/don't like this fic because Endymion is evil, just remember, very few of my fics are all that they appear…

     Rei turned to Quatre. "So, how am I gonna pay for everything?"

     Quatre smiled. "Here," he said, handing her a small card that looked like a credit card, "This is a cred-card. It goes directly to the Winner account."

     Rei looked horrified. "No. I couldn't accept this…"Quatre pushed the card into her hand and closed her slim fingers around it. 

     "It is a gift." He gave her a pleading smile. She knew she couldn't resist that smile. No one could. She twisted her lips in a half-smile. 

     "Ok Heero. Is it alright if we go after breakfast?" He nodded. She grinned. "Okay. That's settled." She beckoned the cook, a Maganac (did I spell that right?) named Basam, over and asked for more grits and toast. The rest of breakfast no one said a thing.

~*~*~*~*~

     Heero sat in his black jeep. Rei was taking forever to come outside. _It's not as if she has a lot of clothes. That's why I agreed to take her shopping. Why is it taking her so long to get ready? Are all women like Relena? He saw Wufei come outside and stretch for his routine jog. He took off. Heero bumped his head against the steering wheel. It honked. __Oops. _

     "Geez, you shouldn't have honked. It's not my fault I almost got lost." Rei's sarcastic voice broke the peace. Heero looked up and did a double take. With so little of her own clothing, she had borrowed a pink shirt that Quatre had washed and…one of Heero's black shorts. She noticed that and spun around. "So, do you like? I borrowed one of yours because it was the only choice. Do you mind?"

     "…" Was his only answer. She narrowed her eyes.

     "Before I leave here, I am going to get you to say at least a whole paragraph of NICE things," she announced as she got into the jeep.

     "Really? Duo's been trying to do that since I met him." With that the jeep rolled out of the driveway.

~*~*~*~*~

     Sometime later they pulled into the mall parking lot. Rei got out but Heero made no move to. Rei looked at him. "Well?"

     "Well what?"

     "Oh, come on. We have work to do."

     "I said I would take you. I never said I would go inside." Her eyes narrowed. She crossed to his side of the jeep and opened his door. She pulled him out easily, since he wasn't wearing his seat belt. (suicidal remember?) He stumbled out and immediately tried to pry her arm off him. "Rei," he hissed "let go of me right now!" She shook her head. Her face was the reincarnation of stubbornness.

     "You have two choices. Either walk with me up there or I will drag you and maybe even dig these long red nails into your skin. What is your choice?" 

     He started to walk up. Rei grinned in triumph and walked in front of him. "Why do you want me to go in so bad?" His voice was resigned.

     "I want someone's opinions, even someone as fashionless as you. And I want someone to carry my bags," She tossed over her shoulders as casual as if she had flipped her hair. She walked through the sliding doors. Heero followed after a moment.

     The mall was HUGE. Rei had never seen such a big mall. She smiled. Mina would absolutely LOVE it here. Rei's smile dropped. _Mina… She forced a smile on her face and turned to Heero. "Let's get started shall we?" Heero didn't like the look on her face. It was half maniac, half sad, half forced, and half indifferent. His mind registered that there were too many half's in that thought, but he didn't get a chance to change it before Rei was moving into the first store._

~*~*~*~*~

     Three hours later Heero was maneuvering through the crowded mall with several bags. Several more would be delivered to the house the following week. Rei had a small bag in her hand that she swung back and forth in step with her walking. They had just made it to the car when a voice rang out "HEERO!"

Ok, now I finally updated. This chapter was originally gonna be longer, but the dreaded WRITER'S BLOCK struck me so I forced myself to get this far. 

Who called Heero's name? 

**Dark Smile ~ Yes, you are smart aren't cha? And I'm glad you agree with me about teachers, but IT. IS. FINALLY. SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Devil Child ~ Kill what? –Looks around- oh, me? Please don't!**

**PrincessMoonKitty ~ Thanx for ur review.**

**LilangelSanctuary ~ Sorry, this is a Rei/Heero story. If you want some good R/W stories, try out Megami*Silence or RubyRedDragon05. I'd like it u still read though. **

**Sakura Petals ~ thanx for the review.**

**Yssan ~ u go girl!**

**Kei ~ Poor Wufei. Knowing the other "guys" he won't last a week. BE careful! I still need him in my story!**

**Priscilla ~ whapish! The reason Trowa isn't in it(yet) is because I don't want to break up my fave GW pairing (CBxTB) and/or I haven't decided who to put him with yet.**

**90%D.Child ~ O_O Potty mouth. ^_~**

**Forevermore ~ sorry R/H**

**Nica ~ sorry, R/H**

**Reiko ~ is this enough?**

**Angel of Mercy ~ I hope to read more of YOUR stories soon. *hint hint* **

**Megami*Silence ~ was it interesting?**

**White Rose ~ Close, but no cigar. U got something right though. **

**RubyRedDragon05 ~ thanx for the review.**


	5. Comforting

Ok, and just to make a few things clear

I'm using a bit of Rei's personality from the manga, but mostly it's from the anime

And since they took SM off Cartoon Network (AGAIN), I haven't seen all the episodes. So, gomen if I get something wrong.

     "Heero!" Heero's eyes widened slightly for a minute, before becoming emotionless again. He stopped, and saw Rei turned and look at him, before looking behind him. Heero himself took a deep breath before turning.

     He saw a familiar light-brown hair girl hurrying towards him. He didn't want to talk to Relena right now. Even though he was the Perfect Soldier, his arms were beginning to hurt from all the bags.

     Rei looked at the girl and old man running towards them. Well, the girl was almost running and the old man was walking a bit fast to keep up. She looked at Heero again and raised an eyebrow. Who were these people? She looked at the girl again and shrugged. She must be a friend of Heero. Rei walked the last few steps to the car and put the bag she carried in the back. She walked back to Heero.

     The girl walked up to Heero and stopped. "Oh Heero! It's so good to see you again. Do you live here or just passing through?" 

     "Hn."

     Rei stifled a smile. Obviously the girl knew Heero well, and it was obvious that Heero tolerated her, if not liked her a bit. 

     The girl looked at Rei quizzically, then smiled. "Hi. I'm Relena Dorlian. This is my butler Pagan." She said, indicating the old man. Rei smiled back.

     "Hi. I'm Hino Rei." The girls looked at each other. Then Relena looked at Heero.

     "Heero, why do you have shopping bags? And"- she looked closer-"why a bag from…Victoria's Secret…?" she trailed off.

     Rei felt a blush come up. She had let Heero go wander off for about ten minutes while she went in there. She had hoped he wouldn't see it, but now…she saw Heero glare at her…did she see a very faint blush on his face? She couldn't tell for sure, but Relena was still looking at Heero so Rei decided to rescue him. "Umm, actually Relena, that's mine. Heero's just is carrying my bags." Relena looked at her.

     "Heero carries your bags? He never did that for me." Both girls looked at Heero, Relena in surprise and Rei in amusement at Heero's expression, which looked slightly uncomfortable. 

     "Excuse us Relena, but we have to be going." Heero said flatly. He walked by her, and brushed by Rei. His bare upper arm brushed hers and a warm tingle went through him. He stiffened and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. 

     Rei stood still. She registered that Heero had stiffened and stopped, and she registered that Relena was staring in confusion. But all she could do was stand still. The tingle was still on her skin where their arms had brushed, and she resisted the urge to shiver. She felt Heero walk on to the car and put the bags in the car. She came out of her daze and smiled at Relena. "It was a pleasure to meet you, but I must be going." With that, she got into the passenger seat and they drove off.

     The ride home was in total silence.

~*~*~*~*~

     Rei was in her room, sorting through all her clothes, when there was a knock on her door. "It's open!" she called, not looking up.

     "So, Rei, whatcha gonna be doing, say, eightish?" Duo's words made her look up.

     "Duo? Are…are you asking me out on a …date?" Rei's confusion was obvious in her words. Duo chuckled.

     "I wasn't gonna put it that way, but if that's what you want to call hanging out 'dating', then, yeah, I'm asking you out on a date." Rei smiled and laughed. 

     "So, what time are you going to pick me up?"

     "How about 8 on the dot."

     "Will do. Are we going somewhere fancy or casual or in between?"

     "Fancy." Without saying anything else, He left as quickly as he had come, leaving Rei to wonder what was going on.

    "Oh man. What am I going to wear?"

~*~*~*~*~

     Duo walked into the living room where Wufei and Quatre were sitting. The former had a smirk on his face while the latter had his head buried in his face. Duo sat down triumphantly and said, "Well, it's set. Now, what do you think Heero gets jealous?"

     Wufei thought for a minute, then said, " I bet $20 that Heero does NOT get jealous."

     "I take that bet. $20 that Heero DOES get jealous." Quatre groaned.

     "Duo, please don't tell me that you're going to play with Miss Rei's feelings." Duo stopped smiling. 

     "How can you accuse me of such a thing?" He grinned cheekily. "No, what I'm trying to do is help my best bud Heero get hooked up with another woman who might actually understand him."

     Wufei glanced at him in surprise. "What makes you think that onna can understand us, or more importantly, him?"

     "Have you seen her eyes, Wufei? It's like looking in a mirror."

     Quatre nodded. "But…there's something else. Something that the only look I've ever seen like it is Heero's eyes. But in her eyes, the look is…intensified. I don't know what it means."

     Wufei frowned. "I really wish we knew more about her. It's not really safe to take her in. She could be member of OZ, the Alliance, or White Fang. You never know."

     Quatre shook his head vehemently. " I know she's good. Trust me." 

     Duo stood up and stretched. " Excuse me, but I must be getting ready. I have a date." He walked to his room. 

~*~*~*~*~

     Rei looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn't wearing one of her most beautiful dresses, but it was still a lovely dress. It was a red satin dress that went down to her ankles. It had spaghetti straps, but didn't reveal too much. Her hair was done into a high ponytail, with wisps of it falling into her face. Her make up was sparse, just lipstick and some blush. She had some red high heels. Well, they weren't high per say, but semi-low heels. She grabbed a red purse and stepped out of her room. For some reason Duo had changed the plan, saying that they were to meet in the living room. She went in there.

     She heard footsteps and turned around, figuring it was Duo. It wasn't. Heero stood looking at her. "Oh, hi Heero." The memory of their arms touching came back to her as he stared at her.

     Heero had never expected to see Rei like this. When he had first found her, she was wearing a simple kimono. He had never believed she would look as…gorgeous…as she would now. _It's weird, but this feels familiar. But, I have never seen her in a dress. He shook his slightly to clear it. He was just about to ask her why she was all dressed up when Duo came in…in a tuxedo? _

     Duo put his hand over his heart when he saw Rei. " Why, I do believe I have seen a princess. And a princess of fire for that matter." He stared at her. "You know Rei, with all that red, you look like this planet I visited. Mars. A Martian Princess." Rei gasped and ran out. Duo stood shell-shocked. He felt himself hit over the head. He looked at Heero who glared at him before slipping after Rei.

     Rei didn't mean to run out on Duo but he had hit too close to home. She ran to her room and fell onto the floor near her bed, burying her head into her arms on the bed. She could not bring herself to cry. She was strong. She closed her eyes. 

     "What's wrong?" His voice was, for a change, not emotionless, but full of concern. She looked up at Heero, who was standing in front of the closed door. His were still emotionless, but his voice was not as he repeated the question. She glanced at him warily. But as she studied his face she felt her resolve weakening. For some reason, she knew this man would understand. She WANTED this man to understand. And yet, she knew that, in a way, he already did. Want was it about Heero that made him so familiar. She had seen him before, she was sure. But, when and how?

     She became aware that he was about to go out. She made her decision quickly. "Stay. Please." 

     Heero stopped at the simple request. He turned to the black-haired beauty. She stared at him with her violet eyes. Violet eyes that he had seen before. Trusting eyes…that he had killed. He started. _What the hell? Odin and Doctor J finally got to my head. I'm going crazy. Her eyes were still staring at him. She shifted and faced him, arms still on the bed. He had not planned to come to her room, but his feet had followed her, almost of their own mind. He didn't know what to do, now that he was here._

     She was growing uncomfortable. They stared at each. There was something in his eyes, something that was…he broke it by walking towards her, hesitantly. Her stood right beside her and she looked up. He sank down beside her and slowly put an arm around her, drawing her close. She shifted slightly, turning so that her back was against the bed and his chest. Her head was leaning against his chest, but she was far from going to sleep.

     "So what's wrong?" His voice had become hushed for no reason.

     "What Duo said, it just reminded me of my friends. It hit *really* close to home" she said, wondering how much she could and should tell him. 

     "How close?" Rei kept silence. "Okay, Rei, when I found you, I took a chance by bringing you back. And now, I want some explanations. And I want to know why you keep getting so sad. But not in that order." His arms were loose around her, but still comforting. 

     "…My friends…they might be…in awful trouble. And I can't do a fucking thing about it." Heero tightened his arms around her. He expected her to cry as she buried her head in his chest and put one hand on his shoulder and the other on his chest. But after awhile, no tears came and he pulled away a little. She looked up. He didn't know what he could do, what he could say, to comfort her. He didn't realize that he had helped some already.

     "Rei…I think that your friends will be alright if they are as amazing as you are." He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling with his other senses. Her hair smelled of jasmine, she was warm to the touch. He opened his eyes to see a lone tear streaking its way down her porcelain skin. She seemed to be as startled as he was to see it-he just hid it better-and made a movement to wipe it away. With one hand, Heero grabbed the hand that was rising to wipe it away, effectively stopping it in it's motion, and instead, with his other hand, wiped it away with his thumb, his thumb lingering for a few more seconds. Then he removed it and got to his feet, dropping her hand as soon as he was standing, and walked out without a look back. The woman stared after him while an emotion stirred deep within her soul and a memory stirred deep in her heart.

Well? What do you think and I talked an awful lot about eyes, ne? Anyways, I have two questions that hopefully you reviewers/readers can tell me.

How old is Hotaru in relation to the inners at the end of the series? Please, I want to know so I can write her in properly.

And 

Who would you rather see Trowa with: Hotaru or Trista?

**monoxide_child- man, it's good to know that you haven't left FF.Net or sumthing. Now, I want u to do two things: update all ur stories AND get on AIM. Please? -Puppy dog eyes-**

**Nica-Well, I'm not really into the Rei/Wufei coupling, but I might since you asked so nicely. ^_^**

**Lady Pyro-thanks for the review.**

**Angel of Mercy- glad you liked it.**


	6. Visioning

Disclaimer- I own the plot, nothing else.

'' = thoughts

"" = speaking 

bold italic = vision speaking

italic = vision.

     Rei lay on her bed, thinking. She could still feel every touch, could still remember every thought that had run through her head. Rei had changed into her nightgown almost as soon as Heero had left. She knew that she would have to apologize to Duo, but her mind just wasn't on him. It was on the Prussian-blue eyed man who had wiped away her tear with a gentle but firm thumb, which had seemed more like a caress than a simple…her thinking wasn't making any sense now either! 

     She turned on her side, aware that her nightgown was bunching uncomfortably under her knees, but not caring. 'Ugh, I can't think like this. I know Quatre has a fireplace in the living room and den, so maybe if I meditate in front of it, it will be kind of like I was back home.'

     Home. She felt like throwing up. Why had she let him bully her like that? Surely, she could have let her friends and Queen know something, some sign, some word. 'But they kept you under 24 hour watch.' The rational part of her brain defended her. 

     She got off the bed, the moonlight making her black hair shine. She looked out the window. A dog was barking softly, and a few cars whizzed by. Rei put one hand on the glass. She leaned against it. Her breath made little spots on it and she smiled. She traced different letters in it. She looked at her handiwork and turned to get something to eat and meditate. She closed the doors quietly. On the window, the letters "S M A M T H R H M" faded with the breath.

     Rei walked silently down the stairs. She had learned just where to step without making noise. It was colder down here. She shivered slightly. Stepping into the kitchen, she fixed herself some leftover rice. Sitting at the smaller "bar" against on wall, she ate her hot food. While that was going, she kept her mind focused only on her food, driving out other, more confusing thoughts.

     She finished eating and turned on the water and rinsed her bowl and glass. Turning it off she turned…

     …Only to bump into a chair. 

~*~*~*~*~

     Upstairs, a pair of eyes snapped open

~*~*~*~*~

     Rei cursed silently as she rubbed her bruised shin. She hoped no one had heard that, and she looked around just to be sure. She made her way to the fire in the den that was still burning. She expertly added some fuel and sat cross-legged in front of the roaring fire. She closed her eyes and prayed. Outside, the sound of rain began.

     Heero looked at the woman in front of him. He had come down when he heard a loud thump, thinking it was a thief or something along those lines. But it was only Rei. 'Only Rei? I feel so comfortable with her, although I've only known her for about three weeks. What is happening to me? I'm not like Wufei, I don't hate or dislike women, but there's never been a need for them. So why do I want to kiss this woman? Or hold her?' He kept up his silent observation of her, leaning against the wall.

     Rei was deep into her meditation. But, it was not as good as her sacred fire, just barely keeping her mind off her confusing thoughts. Then something went though her. Her back stiffened more than it already had. Her head felt just like it did back home, when she received a fire reading. She opened her eyes and looked into the fire. 

Running, screaming, crying. Betrayal. They were too weak. **The Queen…no! And then the hiding, cat and mouse, too weak, help!**

**_NO! Outside! Help her! Help them! __Outside._**** Run! Lookout! Serena! Everyone crying, screaming through tears. Powerless. And an evil laugh echoing, driving fear through even the senshi.**

**_     Rei gasped and drew back from the fire as if she had been burned. She scrambled away, not caring how loud she was, just needing to get away. She felt strong arms wrap around her, and she knew who it was, a smell of gunpowder and smoke. She buries her head into her chest, the second time in a few hours. But, yet again, she does not cry, but just needs to be held. _**

     Rei, embarrassed, pushed him away. 

     "What happened?" His voice, firm but gentle. She knows she has to tell him.

     "I…I sometimes get…visions. I was a priestess in my old life." He nods, indicating she should go on. "And I got a vision. A really bad vision."

     "There's more to this story than you're telling me Rei, and I don't like that."

     Rei looks at him defiantly. She starts to answer, but a thud outside silences her.

     Heero looked at Rei before looking outside. He saw Rei getting up to see what is was, and he stood up as well. Taking out a gun, he motioned for Rei to stay behind him. He walked to the door and threw it open, pointing his gun all around. He looked down Rei pushed past him, running to a small body on the wet mud, heedless of the rain.

     "_Hotaru!" _

Hm, I don't know about this chapter. It didn't turn out the way I wanted it too, but I guess it's ok. 

Did anyone get the "S M A M T H R H M" part? Please tell me someone got it!

Monoxide_child- thanx for the review!

~*Jen*~ - thanx for the review. So far, I already know who's winning between Hotaru and Trista, but I'm not telling. –smirks evilly-

Whitefeather-You better update!

Lady Pyro- ^.^ thanx. 


	7. Thicken

Disclaimer~...do I need to say it? Just read/think back to the other chapters. I'm not gonna write it this time.

Whoohoo! I got the next chapter out. I was going to make it longer, but the words just won't come. . So just take it or leave it….I have a test tomorrow and I am hungry yet again. I swear, me and Usagi/Serena could have an eating contest!

Enjoy!

Rei stared from behind Heero.  She knew that hair, that outfit. She knew what the wand that a pale white hand clenched tightly did. It had to be her. It _was_ her!

            "Hotaru!" She all but pushed Heero out of the way and ran through the rain, unfeeling of the rain. She dropped beside the girl and turned her over. It was definitely Hotaru. Rei quickly felt for a pulse. She almost gave a cheer when there was one.

            Heero dropped beside her, and Rei realized that she had just been sitting there, in the rain, in the _mud_, for several minutes, just staring at the frail body in relief and shock. She looked at Heero with tearful eyes and sighed in relief as he said, "Lets get her inside."

            Normally, she would have thought that herself, but worry about Hotaru was clouding her judgment. The two girls had quickly bonded, because both had special powers outside of being transformed; Rei had her miko abilities, Hotaru, her healing powers. Rei could recall the day when Hotaru had come to her, near tears, and asked if she would help her, not only with her powers, but being accepted at school as well. Rei had immediately said yes, and the two had grown very close. Rei saw Hotaru as a little sister, like all the Senshi, but the two black-haired girls were especially close.

            She felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her out of her memories of her past life. Heero was staring at her with an unreadable gaze, holding Hotaru in basic-damsel-in-distress fashion: one arm under her legs and the other supporting her shoulder blades. In true Heero-style, he had picked up her "sister" so quietly the normally observant miko princess hadn't even noticed. Rei nodded and picked up Hotaru's henshin wand. Then she stood up and gave Heero a look that clearly said, "Ready, let's go."

            Heero carried the girl in his arms. Who was she? "Hotaru," Rei had called her. He looked down without moving his neck and he had a pretty good guess as to what color her eyes were. Violet. _Like hers_. He moved his eyes to the left, where Rei was walking. They looked so much alike; he wondered 'are they sisters?'

            He sensed eyes on him, and looked up. Three silhouettes were standing in the doorway. As the trio approached, the faces could be seen.

            Duo stood in shock. Three weeks after he had brought Rei here, unconscious and bruised, Heero was doing it again. 'I want someone to rescue…and to love. If He-man can do it, then the God of Death should be able to…hm, He-man and She-ra….that's a keeper…'

            Wufei couldn't believe his (bad) luck. Another onna to be burdened with? But, as he looked at Rei, he remembered how weak Merian had been, and how strong she had become. He snorted. 'Wufei, idiot, miracles can't happen twice.'

            Quatre stared at the trio. Rei was covered in mud from the knees down, and splatters were all over her upper body. The rain had plastered her usually elegant hair to a dripping mess that clung to her worried face. Her bangs were brushed hastily to the side and out of her eyes.

            Heero looked better. His shoes were muddy and his hair was dripping but wasn't plastered like Rei's. His shirt clung to him, but other than that, he seemed alright. However, it was the unknown girl he carried that scared him. Her skin was a sickly white and her hair was in muddy clumps; even though the rain dripped on it, the mud seemed to stick in it. She wore an elegant black evening gown that was torn in many places and stained with mud and something he couldn't identify, but had a sinking feeling it might be blood. Her shoes, contrary to the gown, were simple black moccasins with embroidered beads that formed a sign he didn't recognize. He didn't like the picture the entire outfit painted in his mind. The picture that it painted was that the girl had been at a fancy party, and then had rushed to get out of it. It was probably recently, but she still had enough time to change from her fancy shoes to the more maneuverable moccasins. He was pulled from his contemplating by Duo's voice.

            "Heero, as much as you enjoy rescuing damsels in distress, we—"

            "Don't have time for another weak onna. And why are you taking her in? That's what a HOSPTAL is for."

            "Rei knows her," was his answer. The pilots turned to the girl who—up to know—had remained silent.

            "Her name's Hotaru. She's a good friend of mine."

            "So? We still know next to nothing about you. Who's to say she isn't worse than you?" Wufei paused as he looked at the girl's frail frame. "But…I don't want to help anyone die…"

            "So let's get her inside." Duo said and the three pilots moved aside. Heero strode in, Rei trailing behind him.

            Heero walked down the hallway to Rei's room and set Hotaru down on her bed. "Rei, get her into some dry clothes. Quatre, find a heater and some blankets. Wufei, heat up some milk and get some medicine. Duo, go get a doctor. You know the ones." He gave Duo a piecing glance who nodded. The other men also rushed off. Heero pulled away from Hotaru and looked at Rei. "You going to be alright?"

            Rei nodded. "Yeah…it's just that Hotaru is kind like little sister to me. I wonder what happened…"

            Heero debated whether to say something to comfort her or just leave in silence. He chose to leave in silence.

            Rei was thankfully glad for his departure for once. She needed time to think, not to mention change the girl's clothes. She went to her dresser and picked up a nightgown that had shrunk slightly in the wash and put it on the bed beside Hotaru. She then proceeded to pull the wet and muddy clothes off her "sister" and dried her off with a towel. Then she pulled the purple pajamas over the younger girl's head. When she was done, she flopped into a chair. _'What happened, Hotaru? What happened when I left? Why are you in such a state? And why are you here in this dimension at all? Wake up, Hotaru. Get better and wake up.' _Rei buried her head in her hands. Never in her entire life had she felt as hopeless as she had now. She realized her hand was still clenching the wand. Rei stared at it and choked back a sob. _I…I miss them more than I thought…and…I hope it hasn't come true…but…it might have, that would explain Hotaru's presence…but still, why come get me? The senshi could surely handle it themselves, even without me…_

            Rei jerked her head up all of a sudden. "No, that can't be…"

            Just then several things happened at once. Quatre and Wufei came back in, both with the designated items, Duo came in with a doctor, Rei shot out her door--barely slipping past Quatre and Wufei—and Heero opened the door to his room with a change of clothes on.

            As a result, Wufei spilt some of the hot milk on his arm and cursed, Quatre dropped one of the many blankets and towel he had, Duo rubbed his hands over his temple, the doctor stared with a what-the-heck-have-I-gotten-into look, Rei slipped out the back door, and Heero took it all in silently before turning his head to the swinging back door.

            Rei ran out into night. It had stopped raining, but it was incredibly windy. Rei ran to the middle of the huge yard and shouted at the starry sky, "Tell me! What's going on! I want to go home! I want to know what's going on! TELL ME! _TELL ME_!" She spun as the wind tore at her words, ripping them from her throat and throwing them to the clouds and twisting them around. Rei wasn't done yet though. "GIVE ME A CLUE! Phobos! Demos! Help me!" she sank to the still-muddy ground. "Please, just give me a clue…a hint…onegai…"

            She felt a presence behind her. She didn't even need to turn to know who it was. The sense of comfort she had gotten recently when he was around was the telltale sign that it was Heero. _'Funny, even though I've only know him for a few weeks, I feel like I've known him forever.' _A moment later, his hesitant hand was on her shoulder.

            "Rei?" His words whirled around her; she could barely her him. She turned to him and he gestured that she was to follow him in.

            Once they were in, he continued to walk to his room. She hesitated for a minute, and then he turned to look at her. She made her decision quickly. She HATED haughty looks like what he just did. She tossed her head and walked in. Heero—about to shut the door behind her—glared at Duo, who poked his head out of Rei's room where the doctor worked on Rei's friend, Wufei, who stared from the couch, and Quatre, who looked up from his books, with the promise that if they said one word, he would do unmentionable things to them. Then he shut the door with a decided click.

            Wufei, Duo, and Quatre just stared at each other.

So what's going to happen next time? Who knows? Well, aside from me, that is? –evil innocent grin- Oh, and I have the results about whom Trowa will be with…so know more voting! The voting is over! ^.^

And most everyone got the letters right. Here are what they stood for: Serena, Michiru, Ami, Makoto, Trista, Hotaru, Rini, Haruka, and Mina.

**Riye** ~ Thank you!

**Michi** ~ Thank you!

**Kei **~ …Better feed those Saiyans. BTW, the next time I see you on, guess who you get (hint, look at the first word of the last sentence of the story ^.~)

**Whitefeather** ~ lol, yes you did. Thank you!

**B** ~ Thank you!

**Monoxide_Child **~ Yeah, I'm really sorry about the tense changes. A friend of mine told me that it was good for the look I'm going for, so I tried it. I didn't like it that much, so I'm not going to do it anymore. And _THANK YOU_!

**90%D.Child** ~ Thank you!

**~*Jen*~** ~ Thank you!

**Priscilla** ~ You have some good guesses, but I'm not saying if it's all right or all wrong…as for death-by-suspense, dig your grave, cuz I believe it's going to be even more suspenseful. And yes, that what happened/is happening/will happen makes sense…but I am not saying anything else!

**Princess Ren** ~ Thank you!

**Dragon Lady** ~ Thank you!

**Viette Adele** ~ Yeah, the names will be mixed because, simply put, I don't know some of the names. At first, I had trouble with the Japanese names for several of the scouts, not to mention I didn't know the American names for Michiru, Hotaru, and Haruka.

**Megami*Silence** ~ Thank you!

**Tranah** ~ Thanks for the review!

**Kurohkami** ~ Martian? Thanks for the laugh and review.

**Lady Light** ~ Thanks for the review!


	8. Explain

This is gonna be my last try….if it's still screwed up, then blame FF.net. –sigh- Okies, here I go…

I am SOO sorry about the earlier formatting of this chapter. FF.net was being all screwy. I hope that when I repost, it'll be fixed. ^^ please just hang in there. Thanks!

Well, here I am with another installment of Banishment. ^^ Thanks so much for all the encouragement and I hope you enjoy it!

As Rei walked in, the senshi inside her took in her surroundings. The simple bed with black sheets was pushed to one side of the dark-green colored room, with a small wastebasket at the foot of it. Parallel to the bed was a desk that housed a huge computer with various attachments such as a fax machine, printer, and other equipment she had no idea what it was. A small black laptop stood on the top of a dresser right beside some weaponry—was that a machete?—and a small palm pilot of sorts. There was only one window, a small circular one straight across from the door, high on the wall. Rei moved forward, out of the doorway and kept her eyes on the window.

Heero studied her as she studied his room. His eyes narrowed. She definitely wasn't just a normal miko…her stance was relaxed yet guarded, perfect if she got attacked; her eyes moved around the room taking everything in with just about perfect comprehension, and she had immediately moved to where the escape routes would be easily accesible. Just like any of the gundam pilots would…

"Would you mind telling me what or who you are exactly?"

Rei kept her back to him, and calmly replied "I am what I told you. In another life, I was a miko."

"And what else? What else were you?"

She tensed. "Why are you asking me this?" 

He moved up behind her and spoke in a low voice. "Because. I see in you the same fighting spirit as in me and the others. The way you walk, the way you look, the way you carry yourself, they are not the mark of a simple miko. They speak of watching your back, of having to select your moves carefully, of having to tread carefully when every step could be your last."

Rei trembled. She hated herself for that, but she did. Who was this man that could know her deepest secret when not even her Grandpa knew…just by observing her? It scared her. It scared her a lot. But she wasn't called called an ice cold bitch by some for no reason. She deliberately let her muscles relax and took on an impassive expression. "So? What business is it of yours how I appear?"

"Because you could be a danger."

"Really? Lil old me?" She batted her eyelashes innocently, knowing she was flirting with danger, but for once not caring. She was tired of this constant tension, of being weak and feeling so sad. She wanted  an excuse to yell, to punch, to relieve something inside of her. She was slowly burning, and now she wanted an excuse to erupt.

Heero glared at her. "You are not as delicate as you appear. I can tell that." He looked at her well-toned arms and what he could see of her legs. "That is not fat, nor just simple fat. That is well trained muscle."

Rei huffed inwardly. How _dare_ he look at her like that? She glared back. "So what? So what if I've seen battles, who cares? I don't. I'm sick and tired of this Heero." She turned to face him. "So what if I used to be a senshi, a warrior, it doesn't matter. I can't be anymore. I can't go back."

"You would want to? To go back to a life of fighting, of killing?" Somehow, he seemed to understand exactly what she was. She was surprised. 'But am I really? I saw it in him as well…'

"Iie. That is, I want to for one reason. I mean, no. I don't know…"  she sighed and sat on the bed. The brown-haired boy raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "I don't really want to go back. Yes, I miss them so much, but I'm really liking my life here, and there's the fact that I am actually Hino Rei, and not Sailor Mars, but I have a purpose there and now I'm babbling and I should shut up. Starting now." 'oh great, now I'm starting to sound like Mina…'

Heero couldn't help but smile mentally at her tirade. However, it would take more than one rant to get the Perfect Soldier to crack a smile. He start down in a little chair in front of his desk. "Let's start with some background. Who or what is Sailor Mars?"

Rei thought about the best way to answer. "It's…my code name you could say."  

"Sou ka. And why can't you go back? And how did you get here anyways?"

"I can't go back because…I broke the rules. As for how I got here, well, the others said you brought me here."

"That's not the answer I'm looking for. I mean, how did you get *here*…to this place?"

She shrugged. "I'm not quite sure." The raven-haired beauty was lying, and they both knew it.

Heero's eyes hardened. "I saw the portal Rei."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The small car gave one last sputter before it went to that automechanic in the sky. The youth in it got out and silently cursed. Then he shook his head and grabbed his one-strapped pack and slung it on his shoulder. He gave his car a one-eyed glare before striding off down the street.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rei gasped and looked at him with wide eyes.

He went on, pressing the point. "I was in my usual thinking spot, across from an old crumbling building, when I hear this humming noise. I look up, and there's this blue portal like thing. As if that isn't weird enough, a moment later a black-haired girl dressed in a simple kimono steps out and falls from two stories up. I go running over, and she's unconscious. So I pick her up and take her to my house." He looked at her. "Sound familiar?"

Rei couldn't breathe. She just stared at the man in front of her. Disbelief, horror, relief, and fear all mingled together.

"So what are you, Hino Rei?" He rolled her name on his tongue, deliberately drawing it out and making each syllable sound bittersweet. "A witch? An enlighted miko? An angel? An alien?" Heero's voice got a bit louder and harder on each sentence till he was speaking in a voice equal to Duo's normal one. He wanted Rei to confess, to do something other than sit there. And she did. But not the way he expected.

She buried her face in her hands and all but sobbed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He saw the house he was looking for. He let a predatory smirk on since there was no one around to see it. He slowed his steps, making not a sound as he moved up the sidewalk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero felt his eyes widen. That alone wasn't the biggest surprise. The biggest surprise was sitting on the bed across from him, shoulders shaking. He hadn't meant to make her CRY! He hated it when anyone cried, especially when it was a young woman. The stoic young man did what all men do in this sitiuation…

He panicked.

Of course, in true Heero Yuy fashion, he did not let himself show any inward signs of panicking. He calmly went to the door and opened it, looking for one of the other pilots, preferably Quatre or Duo.

He saw Wufei.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The boy stared at the house. He swept his bangs out of his eyes. '_I sure hope this is the right place…otherwise I'd have no other place to go. After all, they killed her..'_ His eyes hardened into green jade. He wouldn't allow himself to think that. After a last glance around, he walked to the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero let out a mental groan. Wufei would probably end up making Rei cry harder, but…it was better than nothing.

"Wufei."

He looked up. "Yeah? How are the onnas?" He showed his concern in the slightly gruffer way of speaking than normal.

"I don't know….demo…" the prussian-eyed pilot motioned for Wufei to come into his room. As Wufei got up, shooting him a curious stare, Heero moved aside to allow him access into the room. When Wufei looked into the room….

"Oh HELL no!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo came walking down the street, ignoring the little dogs who tried to chase him. When one got too close for his liking, he casually stretched his leg to deliver a kick to the head. Hah! Take that pekinese, bulldog.

As he got closer to the house, he noticed someone standing on the porch. His gait immediately turned guarded and he unintentionally reverted to his days as a pilot, quietening his footsteps and drawing the shadows around him. He was about five meters from the house when the visitor spoke.

"Don't bother. I know you're there."

Duo chuckled and drew up to the door. "You caught me."

As the flickering light caught the other man's face, Duo let out a small gasp and curse. "It's…you!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rei heard Wufei's curse and looked up. She saw both boys in the doorway arguing in hushed tones.

"I repeat: hell no!"

"I don't know what to do."

"What, and you think I do?"

"Well, you were married…"

Wufei was married? Rei mentally filed that away for another day.

"So? I'm no expert! Merian never cried in front of me."

"Well, still. You know what to do more so than I do."

"Bakayaro!"

And so it continued. Rei blinked, rubbed her eyes, blinked again, and then let out a gravelly chuckle. Both men's head whipped towards her. She was now chuckling in earnest. Both men were sure she was laughing at them, and looked at each other cluelessly. Wufei let out a small "feh!" and stalked out. Heero just stood there lost. Rei stood up and wiped her face. She beamed at Heero and walked past him, turning slightly to face him. 

"Thank you."

He had no clue what she was thanking him for, but Relena had taught him to always nod and accept it graciously. "It was nothing……?"

Rei smiled one last time and left a puzzled Heero to try and figure out the alien species known as a woman.

Rei walked out into the living room and froze. There was a strange man in there. He looked at her. She looked at him.

"           Who are you!?" They asked at the same time.

-cringes- Meep, don't hurt me! I know that I'm being evil to the extreme to have yet another cliffy, but I can explain! I've been working on this chapter for months, adding some parts here, some there and it just wouldn't get finished. So then I promised Sandra I would update before the end of the month. And normally I would wait till the deadline to get the longest/best chapter, but I'm leaving in 2 days and won't be back for a week and a half. AND then I have to clean the house, do my summer reading, and all that jazz. –sigh- Oh, and tell me if you didn't like the way I kept switching scenes…otherwise I might do it some more. ^^

 Okies, now that my sorry excuses are over, feel free to hurt me. –gets in her anti-pain bubble- ^^ Hit me with your best shot! Ja ne till next time! 

Next time: We see who this mysterious man is(friend or foe?), we see where our loveable Quatre went off too, and –gasp- Hotaru wakes up! 

**Sailor Hylia** ~ Lol, no, she was carrying her own henshin stick. And thanks!

**Arien** ~ Thanks!

**Aprun** ~ Yeah, they are getting close. ^^ Still just good friends though. And I can't tell you about Serenity just yet, ne? ^o~

**DragonStar** ~ ^^ Just wait for Hotaru to wake, ne?

**Priscilla **~ ^^ Yummy meals is an understatement. And dad made this just for you. –hand her cyberspaghetti- ^^ The thing about Hotaru will be explained in the next 2 chapters(hopefully). And I don't think Wufei is a true woman hater, hence the way I portray him.  I just think he has been raised in the ancient ways, you know, where women are to be protected. –shrug- As for Trowa…well, -smirk- That's for me to know and you to find out. ^__^

**Whitefeather** ~ ^^ Thanks! And Trowa will be with…..

**Sadie Joyce-Myst Lady** ~ Thank you!

**Miyaka **~ Let me just say….Wufei is gonna have a whole lot more onnas to deal with soon. ^^ And everyone will be affected by Hotaru's news.

**Icyfire** ~ Yeah, Heero and Rei went in his room to talk. ^^ And thanks!

**Dragon Lady** ~ ^^ I know, I would have paid anything to get those looks animated!

**Princess Ren** ~ ^^ Thanks for all the enthusiasm!

**WikeD tEnShI **~ Listen carefully…No. The SCOUTS won't be coming. Understand? (hinthint) Trowa will be with…..blank. And Hotaru is 19.


	9. Wait

_Well, it's been awhile, ne? Over a yeah…hehe…-sweatdrop- I'm sorry about that, I really am. It's just…Well, lately I haven't really been wanting to write anything, feeling like it doesn't matter, yanno? But I'm finally making myself update this. _

* * *

Rei walked out into the living room and froze. There was a strange man in there. He looked at her. She looked at him. 

"Who are you?" They asked at the same time.

Rei looked the newcomer over. He had brown hair in one of the weirdest styles she had ever seen—and she had seen styles literally out of this world, so that was saying something. His hair was a soft brown, but it was combed over one eye, hanging like icicles. His one visible eye was a dark green, but she was sure that once he stopped narrowing his eye (or eyes, if he actually had another one beneath those bangs that could pass for a helmet) in suspicion of her. He was wearing simple clothes, just simple blue jeans and a brown sweater. There was a duffel bag on the floor next to the chair he was sitting in.

The girl blinked. Yes, he was sitting. Not slouching, not slumping. Sitting. Wow. It had been awhile since she'd seen that. And he looked natural doing it. Wufei tended to lean way back, Heero slumped forward, Duo was constantly shifting, and Quatre sat so straight it was like he had a yardstick stuck up his…

"I'm Hino Rei. A pleasure to meet you." Rei stuck out her hand to the man.

He took it and replied in a solemn voice. "Trowa Barton." And then he dropped her hand and studied her.

Rei felt uncomfortable under his one-eyed gaze. She heard a door open and close behind her and turned to watch Wufei come out. He stopped behind her and looked at the man.

"What are you doing here?" The Chinese pilot didn't seem too perturbed about his guest, which was unusual. Rei remembered when the UPS man had come and Wufei had just about gone psycho. That was not a pleasant memory, especially the part when the UPS man had insulted him and Wufei had…

Rei cringed and steered her mind away from finishing that thought. Wufei had taken a seat on the couch and was now mumbling something under his breath about stupid onnas and unexpected guests. Rei rolled her eyes and looked at Trowa. "Since you've brought a duffel bag, I'm guessing you would like a room?"

Trowa looked at her and nodded. That was it. Rei suddenly had a vision of a man quieter than Heero…but surely this man was just tired from a trip. Quieter than Heero…she just didn't think it was possible. "Hm…rooms…We only have one room available…oh shit! Hotaru!" With that, she bowed and speed walked out of the room.

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "New roommate?"

Wufei nodded. "Heero brought her home one day like a damn dog."

"….Hotaru?"

"Another onna Heero dragged in from a storm. Apparently they know each other."

"Heero and Hotaru?"

"The onnas."

"Ah."

And the room lapsed into comfortable silence.

nn

It was several hours later that Quatre returned, leading yet another guest into already cramped house.

"I appreciate you coming on such short notice."

"It was no problem, really."

"Right this way." Quatre lead his guest into the living room.

"Hello Wufei, Trowa." The guest said with a smile.

Both men looked at the intruder, and Wufei visibly paled. "Uhm…"

Quatre smiled broadly. "Trowa, I didn't know you were coming. You should have told us, we could have prepared a room."

"It's quite alright, Quatre. I didn't know I was coming either, but I had nowhere else to go."

Quatre saw the pain in his eyes and tactfully bit his tongue from asking about the circus. It could wait. Right now, there was a girl in need of a doctor in Rei's room. "I hope you don't mind me fetching another doctor from Rei-san's friend."

Wufei shook his head. "It's…It's quite alright. It's been awhile, Sally."

Sally nodded. "Indeed it has." The blonde-haired preventer turned away from Wufei, succeeding in stopping Wufei from addressing her. "Where is the patient?"

"In here." Quatre lead her to the room, emerging with Rei a few minutes later. Rei took a seat next to Wufei and Quatre sat down on the other side of her. Heero walked out of his room at the moment and he, Rei, and Wufei all stared each other in embarrassed silence for a minute before Heero took a seat in another recliner, breaking the eye contact. Duo strode in and sat down next to Trowa on the loveseat.

"Trowa. Welcome." Heero said with a nod.

The man nodded. "Thanks."

"So, Trowa, what are you doing here? I thought you were gonna stay with Catherine at the circus." Duo asked as he fiddled with his braid.

A flash of pain flickered in his eye and he looked away. "So did I."

Everyone noticed it, but they all knew not to ask at the moment. They all knew the wound was too raw.

"I'm going to help Sally." Duo stood. "Trowa, it's good to have you back." Trowa nodded.

"I'll come with you." Quatre got up and the two left.

* * *

For the next few hours, the small house was quiet. Rei was constantly glancing to the room where her pale friend laid. Her head would lower till she gazed into her hands as though she would learn the secrets of mitosis, so hard was she looking. Then, at the littlest sound that emitted from behind the closed door, she would snap her head up, tossing her hair everywhere, and tense as she imagined the door opening and letting her see what was behind it. Then all would be still, and she would drop her gaze to her hands once more. 

Heero wondered how long it would be until she gave herself whiplash.

After the hundredth time of her cycle, he gave an exasperated, but silent, sigh, and spoke. "Rei." Her neck whipped to him. Heero winced internally, he was sure he had heard the joint pop that time.

"Yes, Heero?" Her voice was thick, obviously her tears were caught in her throat. He frowned.

"You should change."

Rei stared at him, uncomprehending for a moment. Then she looked down at her clothing, caked with dry mud, as well as still slightly damp. She reached up and touched her hair, with was tangled from the earlier soaking. With an air of disdain, she picked a leave off her shoe and stood. "Yes, I suppose I should." She stood shakily and walked into her room.

* * *

Rei shut the door behind her. "Stupid…stupid!" The girl quickly shed her garments, cursing herself for not thinking. _I haven't been thinking for awhile now…_She remembered letting Heero take control of Rei…_I'm totally helpless…gah! Is a few weeks being a fallen senshi taking away my edge? No! Common sense…I thought I had at least common sense!_ With a sigh, she pulled on black, baggy jeans (something she would have never worn while a senshi, they were much too much of a liability) and a pale green tank top. Grabbing her brush, she perched on the edge of the bed and began the calming ritual of brushing her hair. 

Ever since she could remember, having people play with her hair relaxed her. When she was little, her mother would brush her hair to get her to sleep. _"That's my little Rei-chan…my singing voice would make you cry, but just brushing your hair is ten times better."_ Then she would laugh and sing anyways. But since she had died, Rei had to brush her own hair.

Then she met Usagi and the rest, and every time she went to their gigglish "sleepovers", Minako or Usagi would pounce her, demanding to play with her long hair. And at first she wouldn't let them. No one had touched her hair since her mother…but they wouldn't give up. Usagi confronted her about it one day, and on all the days, it was the anniversary of her mother's death. When Usagi wouldn't let the matter die, Rei had exploded, and Usagi had merely stood as she ranted, but when she collapsed on the floor and cried, the ditzy meatball head gathered her into her arms and cried with her. After that, Rei no longer put up a fuss about letting them toy with her hair.

The brush slid out of her hand and landed with a soft whoosh on the bed. Rei slid down beside the bed and curled up, letting her long hair cover her completely. _I don't want to be alone…if my friends were here, then I wouldn't be alone. I…can't deal with this…alone…_

And as her friend in the other room slowly drifted back into consciousness, Rei wept silently.

* * *

_Well, here it is. It's been awhile, I'm sorry to say. I'm a random writer…I'm sorry for those of you who had to wait so long, and I thank you for sticking with me. Hopefully-knocks on wood- The next chapter won't take so long to get out and up on. I'm toying with different dividers, since the normal ones I use are no longer working. (darnit!) Oh, and I'm thinking about going back and editing theearlier chapters of this fic, since I've noticed severalmistakes. Anyways…_

**Lady of Lament** Wallow no more! Here it is! Anything for you, mah lesbian loverer.

**Talia**** Moon** Well, she might…I'll never tell…at least not till it happens.

**Pykel** -turns blue from the strangling- It's ok about the grammar thing. Glad you like! –faints from lack of oxygen-

And for the rest of you who reviewed, thank you soooooo much! I love you guys!


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